SACBA Week 5 Preview - Consolidation ... CONSOLIDATION

All teams are currently at .500 (in NBA speak) or above.

A's - 3 wins & 1 loss (2nd)
B's - 2 wins & 2 losses (4th)
C's - 4 wins & 0 losses
D's - 3 wins & 1 loss
E's - 2 wins & 2 losses
F's - 4 wins & 0 losses
G's  - 2 wins & 2 losses

Total: 20 wins and 8 losses (3 of which were against ourselves). That is a pretty good PERCENTAGE.

Now - do you know what is a pretty bad percentage ... our Free Throw Percentage. It is absolutely horrendous. Look at the Free Throw shooting for our teams. The G's are the only team above 50%.

Team	FTA	FTM	FT%
A's	20	45	44.4%
B's	20	44	45.5%
C's	18	45	40.0%
D's	20	43	46.5%
E's	13	53	24.5%
F's	17	47	36.2%
G's	14	27	51.9%
Total	122	304	40.1%

Look at the E's - they are on track to have the worst FT% ever for a team in the 14 years we have kept records. Not good!

Let's look at the games we lost by less than 10:

Of the 8 losses -  5 were by 10 or less.

A's v SPOC B - lost by 9 (would have been by 4 if No Late Player) ... missed 6 FTs.
B's v Gateway - lost by 2 ... missed 9 FTs (7/16), Gateway missed 3 FTs (9/12).
D's v Dunn - lost by 3 ... missed 7 FTs.
E's v SPOC B - lost by 6 .. missed 8 FTs.
G's v SPOC E - lost by 5 ... missed 5 FTs

Tells a story, doesn't it? If you make FTs - you either win the game or apply scoreboard pressure. Free Throws are super important. Teams get afraid to foul if you make FTs - they don't want to send you to the line.

The thing is - there is one foolproof way to improve, one simple way to improve your FTs - real simple ... anyone can do ... do you know what I am about to say? Practice! Shoot 10, shoot 20, shoot 30 a week ... I guarantee you will improve. Practice your routine, make sure you do it the same every time you get to the line.

I hate to call out individuals (who am I kidding - I love it) but it doesn't help when the 3 guys getting to the line more than anyone are shooting less than 20%. Not Good!

Name	FTM	FTA	FT%
Alex Bubner	3	19	15.8%
Tom Oliphant	2	14	14.3%
Josh Moorfoot	2	11	18.2%
	7	44	15.9%

I could hit 7 out of 44 with my left hand. I could hit 7 of 44 with my eyes shut. I reckon I could hit 7 off 44 from 30 feet. Not good!

As a club this year we are 0.1 % on track to shoot the lowest FT% ever. So let's get out and practice - it will mean the difference between winning and losing a big game.

Team	FTA	FTM	FT%
1999	1135	454	40.0%
2000	883	398	45.1%
2001	1183	514	43.4%
2002	1154	498	43.2%
2003	1024	452	44.1%
2004	1093	485	44.4%
2005	1757	818	46.6%
2006	1397	660	47.2%
2007	1526	770	50.5%
2008	1594	727	45.6%
2009	1479	724	49.0%
2010	1391	643	46.2%
2011	1731	802	46.3%
2012	1772	804	45.4%

And The Lady Reds - you don't escape.

v Adelaide - lost by 7 ... missed 6 FTs
v Unley B - draw ... missed 6 FTs
v Dunn - lost by 7 ... missed 7 FTs

Not Good! Georgie is Moorfoot bad haha - 22%. I am noticing a pattern here - 3 of the people I have named here have been bought to the club by Tim "Purge" Purgacz. I think Purge hates people who can shoot free throws ... he's a Free Throw-ist. That's why I never see him with Ray Allan. The only reason I think he and I are such good friends is so he can say "one of my best mates is a good free throw shooter".

A's (4-0) v Happy Valley A - There has been a regrade - Cherry Saints and Southwest have gone down to C/D Grade and The Corner B (the old Crossway from last year's A Grade) and Happy Valley A have come up to A Grade. If this is the same Happy Valley team as last year - the key is stopping "Money" because as his name suggests ... he is money. I'm not sure who they have so this is a pissy review.

B's (2-2) v Knightsbridge A (2-2) - One of the most important games of the season. The B's only play Knightsbridge twice this season and on current form they look like the team vying for that final spot in the Top 4. Knightsbridge have a brand new squad - Foreman is the only main stay from previous years and he is still one of the top players in the league. Knightsbridge have a good scorer in Collins, shooter in Meredith and solid role players. Offense is the key this week for the B's - they need play as a team and hit their open shots.

C's (4-0) v Southwest A - I haven't seen much of Soutwest - they have 5 brothers (the Western brothers). Overwheel is their leading scorer but check the stats here on who is scoring for them. They seem young and like to run. The C's could trouble them. G and Manners are out, Billy is in.  

D's (3-1) v Knightsbridge B - Knightsbridge always trot out solid teams. In previous years - this has been their youth team. They play super fast, take unorthodox shots and crash the glass ... kind of like Saints. The key to the game is playing your own tempo.

E's (2-2) v Taperoo A - This will be a slow it down, low scoring slugfest. The way to beat Taperoo is by hitting outside shots and making Free Throws. I suggest Bubner spend all week practicing ... he is going to get a few.

F's (4-0) v Spicer A - The F's are clicking on all cylinders and Jay Nguyen has returned to his 2007 form. Spicer are a young side who will be a tad out gunned. This F's side looks like it would be a fun team to play in.

G's (2-2) v East All Stars A -  Our F's beat East in a bit of a grind. #6 Hancock and #7 Smith appeared to do the damage.

Lady Reds (1-1-2) v Edwardstown A - The Lady Reds beat the both times last year - they need this win so let's hope they play well.

June 1	A	Happy Valley A	2.40	Powerhouse	2
June 1	B	Knightsbridge A	5.10	Powerhouse	1
June 1	C	Southwest A	1.50	Powerhouse	2
June 1	D	Knightsbridge B	3.30	Cedar	1
June 1	E	Taperoo A	2.40	Cedar	1
June 1	F	Spicer A	4.20	Cedar	2
June 1	G	East All Stars A	1.50	Cedar	2
June 1	LR	Edwardstown A	1.50	Powerhouse	1